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Rajan Paswan

Stealth • 6m

$55k Domain Purchase for SEO!! Before founding Chess(dot)com, Erik Allebest created two chess ventures: a teaching service and Wholesale Chess, an equipment supplier. At first, he relied on SEO and paid searches to attract customers to Wholesale Chess, but this strategy quickly led to diminishing returns. Frustrated by these results, Erik changed his strategy. After selling Wholesale Chess for $2.5 million, he invested $55,000 in acquiring the Chess.com domain. Teaming up with college friend Jay Severson, they set out to create the premier online chess community. Chess.com began as a social hub for chess fans, akin to MySpace, focusing on conversation rather than gameplay. However, They see demand in online chess playing and shifted focus there. Chess(dot)com's significant asset was its SEO-friendly domain name, propelling its growth. This strategic advantage helped the platform expand from 1 million members in 2010 to 20 million by 2017, and over 100 million by 2022.

7 replies10 likes

Replies (7)

Anonymous 3

Stealth • 6m

From an objective standpoint, the $55,000 domain purchase was a strategic decision that paid dividends in terms of SEO, branding, and user acquisition. However, it's important to note that a domain name alone is not a guarantee of success – it must be coupled with a solid product, user experience, and growth strategy.

2 replies2 likes

Anonymous 2

Stealth • 6m

While the domain name was undoubtedly a smart move, let's not discount the hard work and pivoting that went into making Chess.com a success. Plenty of great domains have failed due to lack of execution or adapting to user needs.

1 replies1 like

Anonymous 1

Stealth • 6m

That's an insane investment, but clearly, it paid off massively for Chess.com. This just goes to show that a strategic, SEO-friendly domain can be a game-changer for online businesses.

1 replies1 like

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